Will and Jada Pinkett Smith 's 11-year-old daughter , Willow , was recently given a tongue-lashing on social media after posting a picture of herself sporting a tongue piercing on Instagram .

asapniceee : `` She is too young for such a provocative piercing . Why would her parents let her pierce her tongue ? ''

tiffaneybabeyy : `` At your age , Willow , I do n't think a piercing should be on you , especially there . ''

mariajx91 : `` Maybe you should stop rushing to grow up Willow . It looks trashy . You 're 11 , and that does n't look good at any age to be honest . Hope it 's fake . ''

Though she later revealed that it was in fact a fake , magnetic tongue ring , people were already whipping their opinions back and forth about whether young people are too vulnerable to make permanent -LRB- or potentially scarring -RRB- decisions about their bodies . The issue : What is classified as `` too young '' ?

While the battle over body modification typically occurs between parents and their children , state legislatures have entered the conversation as well .

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In June , Jerry Garrison , a Florida grandfather , lost custody of his 10-year-old grandson after allowing him to get a tattoo of his initials on his right leg . A `` family tradition , '' according to Garrison .

Under Florida law , a person younger than 16 years old can not be tattooed except `` for medical or dental reasons , '' and anyone age 16 to 18 can be tattooed only with the consent of a parent or guardian .

That law was changed in January 2012 ; it had previously allowed tattooing under the age of 16 so long as the minor had parental consent .

Most states allow tattoos and body piercings for children under the age of majority , which is 18 years old in most of the United States , with parental consent . Though , some have tightened restrictions .

In Idaho , `` No person shall knowingly tattoo , brand or perform body piercing on any minor under the age of fourteen -LRB- 14 -RRB- years . ''

In South Carolina , anyone under the age of 21 is prohibited from being tattooed . If a person is 18 , a parent can give consent , but anyone under 18 is prohibited from ink of any type .

And in Minnesota , it is unlawful for anyone under age 18 to receive a tattoo without written parental consent .

Child development experts contacted by CNN agree with this age of majority for permanent body modification in young adults , but also assert age is but a number ; maturity level is a much better parameter to go by .

Psychiatrist Daniel Bober , an assistant clinical professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University , says it helps to look at a child 's functioning in other areas of their life , such as school and peer relationships .

`` The brain of a young person is still developing and they are less risk averse , more impulsive , and more likely to engage in risky behaviors , '' says Bober .

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`` This is because the last part of the brain to develop is the part that tells them to ` put the brakes on ' before they do something potentially harmful and dangerous . ''

It 's also permanent , adds Victoria Pitts-Taylor , a professor of sociology at the City University of New York and author of `` In the Flesh : the Cultural Politics of Body Modification . ''

`` Tattoos , for example , have some style credibility because they reflect a willingness to ` trade in skin . ' They are thus a Catch-22 for young people , '' says Pitts-Taylor .

`` The aesthetic commitment they require probably extends too far into a young person 's future -- how will they know they will be the sort of person to like it when they are 30 , 40 or 50 ? But that risk is exactly what makes them appealing . ''

Hillary Kevilus recognizes that aesthetic commitment now , but it was a different story when she got her first tattoo at the age of 15 .

`` I had just broken up with my boyfriend , ` the love of my life , ' and it 's a heart with a dagger through it on my right calf . It 's huge and it 's a horrible reminder of a painful childhood and bad teenage decisions , '' Kevilus shares on CNN 's Facebook page .

John A. Haynes , however , says those reminders are exactly why he does n't regret his decision to get his first tattoo at age 17 .

`` I do n't regret my tattoos . Each one reminds me of where I was at certain stages off my life , and my mindset . It 's like keeping a scrapbook , only on my body and not collecting dust on a shelf somewhere taking up space , '' he says via Facebook .

Piercing ears is socially acceptable in America , especially for girls , in contrast to earlobe stretching or tongue rings , like Smith 's , that are far less common .

In some Spanish and Latino cultures , it 's customary to pierce a baby girl 's ears shortly after they 're born .

`` Children 's bodies are especially susceptible to this kind of social policing . We allow them to modify their bodies to some degree so long as they do not step outside the norm ; we see it as our jobs to bring them up as social ideals , '' she says .

Pitts-Taylor says the double standard ultimately adds to the appeal for minors .

`` Children are very good at detecting this kind of hypocrisy . ''

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Dr. Timothy M. Jochen , of Contour Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery Center in Southern California , says he sees tattoo removal patients as early as their twenties now . The three main motivators are relationships , work and motherhood .

Cassandra Martins got her first -- and only -- tattoo when she was 15 with her mother 's consent , and already began to regret it a few years later when she entered college . She has since undergone laser tattoo removal .

`` Nobody under 18 knows what he or she wants forever . I cringe when I hear young people talk about inking themselves . I do n't -LRB- think -RRB- the concept of ` permanent ' or ` forever ' resonates well with the young , '' she says .

`` I do n't see laser tattoo removal as a body-changing procedure ; I see it as restoring a person , '' says Jochen . Unless it is a quality-of-life procedure like gastric bypass , he , like Bober and Pitts-Taylor , also thinks it 's best for young adults to wait to have any body-changing procedures until they 're of legal age .

It 's ultimately not what the young people are doing , but why .

`` It is important for young people to develop what is on the inside and then what other people see will not matter as much , '' says Bober . `` At the end of the day , you have to feel good about who you are and often a cosmetic change will not fix what is underneath . ''

Would you let your child get a body piercing or tattoo if they were not yet 18 ? Did you get a tattoo at a young age ? Share your thoughts in the comments .

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On YouTube , teens ask the world : Am I ugly ?

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Willow Smith , daughter of movie star Will Smith , sported a fake tongue ring in a photo online

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Social media was abuzz with complaints that Willow is too young for piercings

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Age of consent for body modification such as piercings and tattoos varies by state

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Psychologists say kids younger than 18 are often not emotionally mature enough for tattoos